How to adjust after trade dudline

The royal couple saddles their son with a name that has a bad historical track record. Also across the pond, folks were being fed a line of bull about the meat they were eating. It was actually horse meat, which is a small step up from soylent green, at least.

There was that incomprehensible act in Boston. A tornado ravaged an Oklahoma City suburb. And did you hear about the former Patriot who allegedly killed a guy and, perhaps, a few more?

On the hip, hip, hooray end of the spectrum – gay marriage was legalized in multiple states. In that vein, Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) became the first openly gay person elected to the U.S. Senate. Big ups, Wisco!

Edward Snowden. Floods. A pope retiring for the first time in, oh, just 600 years.

Cats and dogs living together. Mass hysteria.

Oh, and it’s been a weird fantasy baseball season, too.

My sympathies to those of you in AL-only leagues who hoarded your free agent-acquisition budget for the trade deadline. Unless of course you refer to it as a FAAB budget. Then you can get in line behind people who say ATM machine.

If you had stashed your cash through the All-Star break, I hope you spent it on guys like former Cubs Matt Garza or Alfonso Soriano.

Why? Because if you haven’t heard about the trades that beat the deadline, there’s a reason.

Nothing happened.

OK, Twitter tough guy, let me beat you to the punch. Sure, the (Dis)Astros sent Bud Norris to Baltimore. A few more sound moves like that, and I might remove that prefix. And, you got me, the Diamondbacks did send Ian Kennedy on a short trip from the desert to beautiful (and pitcher-friendly, to boot) San Diego.

My advice if you sat on your nest egg? Don’t abandon the plan altogether just yet. If the trade deadline has taught us anything, it’s that it’s not nearly as hard-and-fast of a deadline as we face here at SVM every night. There are bound to be a handful of waiver wire-assisted transactions.

But you’ve also got to be realistic and have a contingency plan in place. You might need to undergo a complete paradigm shift and go on the aggressive. That is, unless your league allows you to include FAAB dollars in trades or carry it over to next season, if it’s a keeper league.

If you’re in a use-it-or-lose-it scenario, it’s time to get familiar with guys who are going to get called up. Since there isn’t enough room in these columns for me to delve into great detail – curses! Why did I spend so much time on current events? – I’ll make this quick. I’ll let Google carry you to greater research.

Look for Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts to arrive very soon, especially since they moved the relatively fantasy-useless Jose Iglesias.

One of many deals that didn’t get done, the Cardinals still have filth-flinging Carlos Martinez, who will, along with Trevor Rosenthal, solidify the best bullpen in the NL. Sub-point: If the Cards don’t add outfielder Oscar Taveras by September, he won’t be postseason-eligible.

Since the Cards didn’t score a pitcher before the deadline, it’s also likely Michael Wacha will be back soon. He’s sizzled since being demoted a few weeks ago. You gotta like that.

As for two Windy City acquisitions, Avisail Garcia might be big-league ready, but since the Sox didn’t move Alex Rios, he might not get enough big-league opportunities to warrant a call-up. Mike Olt, on the other hand, will likely play third for the Cubs soon. If you’re power-starved, he’s more than worth a flyer once called up.

With the Tigers sending Garcia to Chicago, keep an eye on the waiver wire for Nick Castellanos. He’ll likely be patrolling the Comerica Park outfield soon and, more importantly, spraying balls all over it from the batter’s box.

With Tyler Skaggs’ struggles, look for ace-in-the-making Archie Bradley to arrive in Arizona soon. In Cincy, I still don’t like Billy Hamilton’s prospects. Kid can fly like no other. But you can’t steal first, and he’s not ready to play the outfield. Pennant contenders usually like their players to be able to field their position.

The Hot Corner

Let’s Get Some Chatter Goin’

This week’s banter

Why do you prefer fantasy baseball over fantasy football?

Last week’s topic

Who’s a player you hate, but you’d love to have on your team?

• Chris Newsome (Amboy): Yadier Molina from St. Louis

• Michael Landis (Kewanee): Easy one...Yadier Molina

• Bobby Greenya (Milwaukee, Wis.): Yadier Molina

• Travis Bernhardt (West Bend, Wis.): Albert Pujols

Pitch the Commish

The commish likes Ray outfielder Wil Myers to be an RBI machine next week. Pick any player and, if he drives in more runs than Myers, you’re in the SVM Dynasty League next season.

Send responses to cheimerman@saukvalley.com or tweet them to him (@CHeimerman_SVM). Also, look for questions on Facebook (Sauk Valley Sports).